About the Role
We're hiring a mid-level Field Application Engineer (FAE) to bridge Customer Support, Community Support, and Engineering. This person takes unclear field problems, turns them into evidence-backed findings, and either resolves them or hands Engineering a crisp, actionable ticket.
You'll be comfortable making small, time-boxed software changes that run on our hub for trials—extra logging, route experiments, config probes—without becoming a full-time product developer. You'll read and apply Z-Wave JS and related docs, dig into live hubs and fleet behavior, travel on site when needed and partner closely with Support and Engineering.
Responsibilities
- Triage and deep-dive escalations from Support/Community that aren't clear yet: reproduce, isolate, and document root cause or next experiments.
- Live hub/fleet work: Balena device health, container logs, cellular/MQTT paths, Z-Wave mesh behavior, and AWS IoT/device cert issues when they show up in the field.
- Read and apply Z-Wave JS (and related) documentation; translate protocol and device quirks into practical guidance for Support and Engineering.
- Ship quick trial code on hub services: temporary logging, feature flags, test routes, custom device operations/timing and diagnostics—with clear rollback and notes for Engineering
- Write durable handoffs: reproduction steps, logs, timelines, impact, and a recommended fix path (config vs firmware vs cloud vs install)
- Feed patterns back into runbooks, the FAE escalation flow, and product bugs—not one-off heroics every time
- Be a member of the Engineering team, you will work closely with all the software developers to help establish good practices and support efforts.
- Partner with engineers on hard cases; know when to stop digging and escalate with a complete package.
- Occasional on-site or install-adjacent debug when hybrid schedule and travel allow.
Required Qualifications
- 3+ years in FAE, technical support engineering, embedded/IoT field engineering, or similar customer + device work.
- Strong Linux troubleshooting (SSH, logs, networking basics; system/containers a plus).
- Able to read unfamiliar code and make small, safe changes (TypeScript/Node and/or Python preferred).
- Comfortable with incomplete information: ask the right questions, instrument, and iterate.
- Clear written communication for Support, Engineering, and occasional customer-facing notes.
- Git/pull request workflow basics.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Z-Wave, Zigbee, or other mesh/IoT radio experience; Z-Wave JS familiarity.
- Balena, Docker, MQTT, AWS IoT/device certificates.
- Prior work bridging Support ↔ Engineering (escalation queues, FAE tickets).
- MDU/proptech/multi-unit deployment experience.
Success in the First 90 Days
- Independently owns FAE escalations end-to-end with clean Engineering handoffs.
- Demonstrates successful resolution of customer issues, driven by investigation and possible configuration changes, where needed.
- Documents 2–3 recurring field patterns into runbooks or ticket templates.
- Trusted by Support as the default "this is weird — loop FAE" owner.
Role Scope & Expectations
- This position focuses on complex technical investigations and escalations rather than routine Tier 1/2 support or sales-oriented demonstrations.
- This role supports product engineering through troubleshooting, testing, and technical findings but does not own product requirements or long-term platform development roadmaps.
- This position partners with the Engineering team on complex issues but does not replace dedicated Engineering resources or assume ownership of the team's ongoing development backlog.
Location
This is a hybrid role, required to work a minimum of two days a week in office, from out Salt Lake City, UT Headquarters.
Compensation
The base salary range for this position is $100,000 – $125,000, depending on experience and qualifications.
